Fountain pen



M. S. BAKER FOUNTAIN PEN Oct. 16, 1945.

Filed June 2, 1944 mm mw Sw ww www NN 1 I INVETOR. Marlzn/ ECL/er BY M mw @www hm/f N l l Il! il Patented ci. 16, i945 2,387,001 roUNTAm ran Application .rune 2, 1944, serial No. 538,359

The invention relates generally to fountain pens and more particularly to a fountain pen having an ink collecting governor of the type shown in the Baker Patent No. 2,223,541, issued December 3, 1940, and provided with a filling mechanism of the type disclosed in the Dahlberg Patent No. 1,904,358, issued April 18, 1933, the governor including a so-called breather tube having one end connected with the feeding end of ,the pen and the other end projecting into the Ibarrel or reservoir for the discharge of air during filling of the pen.

The general object ofthe invention is to provide a fountain pen of the foregoing type which permits free venting of air from the barrel or reservoir of the pen when the pen is carried into high altitudes, as in airplane travel, and which provides for the discharge of air from the barrel or reservoir by the operation of the filling mechanism.

More specifically,h it is an object to provide a' fountain pen of the foregoing type having an opening from the barrel or reservoir to the governor structure, which permits free ow of air from the barrel or reservoir when the pen is carried with the point up and the pressure within the barrel becomes higher than the atmosphere, as in the case of airplane travel, and which opening is adapted'to be closed when the pumping device of the pen is actuated to fill the pen, so that air may be forced from the pen.

Another object is to provide in a fountain pen having a governor structure A.provided with a slitted shank portion forming part of a capillary ink feed channel connecting with/the ink reservoir, novel means to maintain the width of theslit in the shank.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectionaI view of a fountain pen embodying the features of the invention:

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the'iine 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. l but showing the position of the parts during actuation of the pumping or filling device.

When a fountain pen is carried in a pocket with the point end up and the pressure within the barrel becomes higher than atmospheric pressure, asl occurs during airplane travel, the vair within the 7 Claims. (Cl. 1Z0-47) barrel must be freely vented to equalize the pressures. Such venting is provided for in most pen constructions, since the air when the pen is so carried is at the point or front end of the barrel and venting can take place through the feed structure.

In a pen of the type having an ink collecting governor and a. multiple stroke filling device in the rear end of the barrel or reservoir, the socalled breather tube extends into the barrel or reservoir for such a distance that its rear open end is frequently below the level of the ink when the pen is carried with the point up. Thus, if the p'en were being carried during airplane travel in this position, as when carried in a pocket, the excess pressure in the barrel would cause ink to be forced through the breather tube and out through the point of the pen.

If the breather tube were shortened so that its rear end would be above the level of the ink in the barrel or reservoir when carried with the point up, the barrel or reservoir could only be partially filled by the filling device. The reason for this is that, since the point is down during filling, thebarrel or reservoir cannot be filled above the end of the breather tube, since further action of the filling device after the ink has reached that level would merely force out as much ink on a pressure stroke of the filling device as could be drawn in on the suction stroke. Thus, if the end of the breather tube is to be positioned so that air may vent therethrough when carried with the point up, the barrel or reservoir cannot be filled to anywhere near its capacity. In fact, with a barrel of uniform diameter throughout its length, it could be filled only to slightly less than one half its capacity. l

In the present structure, the breather tube is so constructed as to provide an opening at the front end of the barrel or reservoir, which end. is uppermost when the pen is carried in the pocket. Free venting of air is thereby provided upon a change in pressure. However, when the pumping device is actuated, the front opening in the breather tube is substantially closed, as an incident to the operation of the pumping device,

' so that the ink cannot be forced through the opening and into the breather tube in any substantial quantity. The air in the barrel will then be discharged through the rear end of the breather tube and any inkpreviously drawn into the barrel will be retained. In the preferred embodiment, the breather tube is carried by the governor structure, and a second tube serving as a means to close the opening in the front end of and prevent accidental actuation thereof.

the breather tube is carried by a movable part ofs the filling device. Whenthe-illling device is idle, the opening in the breather `tube is\free to vent air, but upon actuation ofthe filling device,

.the second tube, which is in telescopic relation with the breather tubercloses thegopening in the l,

latter and air from the barrel enters the second tube at the rear end thereof to be discharged through the two tubes. l

As shown in the drawing. .the preferred embodiment comprises a barrel l provided at its carries a point I3 protruding a, short distance` from the front end of the shell. The governor structure H has a. shank portion u extending into the front end of the barrel I0 and having a frictional fit therein As a part of the feed channel through the governor structure Il is a slit II positioned transversely of the shank portion .il and extending longitudinally thereof. The shank portion Il also is provided with a central bore I8 in which ia mounted a rearwardly extending breather tube I1 acting in conjunction with the slit II to permit the passage o f ink and air through the governor structure I I in normal operation.

The barrel Il is adapted to be filled with ink by means of a pumping or filling device, indicated generally at 2l, mounted in the rear end of the barrel. The lling device herein shown is of the multiple stroke type shown in the above-mentioned Dahlberg patent and in its present form includes a flexible diaphragm 2| secured at one end to a fixed portion of the filling device, as at 22, and having. its other end attached as at 23 to a movable plunger 24 adapted to be actuated by a movement longitudinally ofthe barrel to re duce the effective volume of the barrel on a pressure stroke of the device.

In the specific form of mling mechanism shown in the drawing, the plunger 24 is in the form of a socket adapted to receive the end 23 of the diaphragm. To hold the end 23 within the socket, a plug l! having a spherical end Il is mounted within the end 23. The plunger 23 is secured to a plunger rod 42 which is slidably supported in a body structure I3 and which extends rearwardly from the barrel III. A blind cap 4I is threaded on the body structure I3, when the filling mechanism is not in use, to conceal the plunger rod l2 The plunger rod I2 is adapted to be manually pressed inwardly of the barrel and a tension spring 4B is provided to move the rod outwardly.

When the pen is carried in the pocket of the user with the point uppermost, it is necessary to permit air in the barrel I0 to be freely vented through the governor structure I l when the pressure within the barrel exceeds atmospheric pressure. Such circumstanceA occurs, for instance, during airplane travel. Because of the position of the pen when so carried, any air in lthe barrel` will be at the front end thereof. Therefore, under such condition, it is necessary to Provide an opening above the level of the ink. To this end. the `breather tube l1 is provided with a lateral slot 25 which provides an opening from the barrel into -the interior of thetube l1 so that air may flow freely through the governor structure.

In filling the pen, the point or front end of the pen is lowermost so that any ink remaining in the` barrel will be located in the front end pressure stroke.

` ture. The succeeding suction stroke of the filling device would, of course, drawin only ink. However, the amount drawn in on a. suction stroke would equal the aniountforced out-on the next could be filled would therefore be only the amount possible to draw inon a single suction stroke.`

To permit the barrek-to be\illled by a succession ofstrokes of the lling device, it is necessary" to close the front end of the barrel from communication with the interior of the breather tube il and permit air from the rear end of the barrel, which is uppermost at that time, to .be forced out in preference to ink. To this end, I provide means which automatically closes the lateral slot 2i in the breather tube I1 as an incident to the operation of the filling device. Buch means also provides a passage for air from the rear end of the barrel.

In the preferred construction, said means comprises a second tube I0 rigidly secured as at 3l to the plug I0. The tube 20 extends forwardly into` and is guided by breather tube I1 extending from the shank il of the governor structure, and 'is of such length that, when the lling unit is idle, the front end of the tube 30 is located at or to the rear of the lateral slot 25 in the breather tube l1. Thus, when the pen is being carried with the pen point upright, the lateral slot 28 is open to perform itsV function. However, in filling the pen with the pen point down, and immediately upon actuation of the filling device 20, the tube 30 is moved forwardly within the tube Il and substantially closes the lateral slot 25, the tube 30 being -sired extent by a plurality of strokes, the ink A drawn in on each suction stroke being substan` tially retained and a'ir being forced out through the tubes i1 and 30 on each pressure stroke.

'I'he breather tube Il is of suiiicient length so that it will be in telescopic relation with the second tube l0 at all times. To facilitate assembly of the parts, the rear end of the tube Il is dared outwardly as at 33 so that the forward end of the tube 30 may be readily inserted therein in asl sembly of the pen.

Since the shank I4 of the governor Il is provided with the slit Il and the shank has a frictional nt within the barrel Ill, the barrel tends to exert a squeezing action on the shank Il, which would tend to narrow the width of the slit I5. Narrowing of the slit I5 would tend to loosen the shank M in the barrel as well as to interfere with proper control of ink now. It is therefore desirable to maintain the slit i5 at its proper width not only from the standpoint of enabling the slit to feed ink properly during writing but also to maintain the shank portion il firmly within the barrel. In the present construction, by mounting the breather tube il in the bore I0 of the shank portion, the tube H serves to prevent the shank from being squeezed together and thus The amount that'the barrel lessening the width of this slit I5. To accomplish this end, the tube I1 has a forced nt within the bore IB.

From the foregoing description. it is apparent that I have provided a novel fountain pen which permits free venting-of air from the barrel when the pen is carried into high altitudes as in airfreely pass into the breather tube and thence out through the governor structure when the point is uppermost and, as soon as the filling device is actuated, the slot 25 is substantially closed so that air from the rear end of the barrel or reservoir will be forced outwardly through nor structure.

I claim: l. A fountain pen comprising," in combination, a barrel. a point, a governor structure for feeding ink from the barrel to the point and having a shank extending into the front end of the barrel, a breather tube extending from said shank into the barrel and having a lateral slot opening into the barrel intermediate its ends. a pumping device mounted in the rear end of the barrel and y operable by a longitudinal stroke to reduce the effective volume of the barrel.\and a second tube movable by operation of the pumping device and provided with an opening into the barrel adjathe gover.,

cent the rear end, said second tube extending into said breather tube and having its front end normally' positioned rearwardly from said lateral slot to retain the same in open condition but being adapted to close said slot upon operation of said pumping device whereby air in the barrel will be forced out through the opening in the rear end of said second tube.

2. A fountain pen comprising, in combination, a barrel. a Point. a governor structure for feeding ink from the barrel to the point and having a shank extending into the front end of the barrel. a breather tube extending from said shank into the barrel and having an opening into the barrel intermediate its ends, a pumping device mounted in the rear end of the barrel and operable with a longitudinal stroke to reduce the effective volume of the barrel, and means movable by operation of the pumping device to close said opening and thereby prevent ink in substantial quantity from being forced from the barrel on reduction of the effective volume of the barrel by said pumping device, said means being constructed to permit flow of air from the rear end of the barrel when said opening is closed.

3. A fountain pen comprising, in combination, a barrel, a point, a governor structure for feeding ink from' the barrel to the point and provided with a shank having a frictional iit in the front end of the barrel, said shank having a longitudinal slit constituting a portion of the feed channel from the barrel. a breather tube fixed Within a bore insaid vshank and extending rearwardly into said barrel, said breather tube having a lateral slot opening into said barrel, a pumping'de vice in the rear end of the barrel and including a Y part movable forwardly in the barrel to reduce the effective volume thereof and a second tube open adjacent its rear end and movable with said v part, said second tube extending into said maintaining said slit at a predetermined widut 4. A fountain pen comprising,` in combination.

a barrel, a point, a governor structure for feed ing ink from vthe barrel to the point and including e a shank frictionally fitting in the Ifront end of the barrel and having a slit constituting a portion of the feedchannel in the governor struc ture, a breather tube fixed in said shank and extending rearwardly therefrom, said breather tube having an opening into the barrel intermediate its ends, a pumping device mounted in the rear end of the barrel and operable with a longi-l tudinal stroke to reduce the effective volume of the barrel, and means movable by operation of the pumping device to close said opening `and thereby prevent ink in substanti l quantity from being forced from thebarrel on r uction of the effective volume of the barrel by aid pumping barrel and manually operable repetitively to reduce the effective volume of said reservoir and including an element movable longitudinally ofi said barrel, and a second tube in telescopic slidable engagement with said breather tube and having its front end normally positioned rearwardly from said aperture whereby said aperture fective during the first part of each such forward I movement to close said aperture and further effective to maintain said aperture closed through-v out the remainder of each such forward movement, said second tube having an opening near its rear end providing a passageway from the bore thereof to said reservoir whereby air is dischargeable from said reservoir through said tubes and thence through said feed means to the exterior of the pen during each volume-reducing actuation of said pumping device.

6. A fountain pen comprising a barrel having an ink reservoir, a pen nib, ink feed means. a breather tube connected at its front end with said feed means and extending backwardly there- 1 from within said reservoir, said breather tube having a lateral aperture intermediate itsV ends and connecting the bore thereof with said reservoir. a pumping device mounted in the rear end of said barrel and operable by a longitudinal stroke to reduce the eiective volume of said reservoir, and a second tubel in telescopic slidable engagement with said breather tube and having its front end normally positioned rearwardly from said aperture whereby said aperture is norbreather tube and being psitioned to close said i.,

lateral slot when moved forwardly to prevent the flow of ink through said slot, said breather tube voir, a pumping device mounted in the rear end' of said barrel and operable by a longitudinal stroke toreduce the effective volume oi' said reservoir, and an elongate member in telescopic slidable engagement with said breather tube land having its frontI end normally positioned rearwardly from said aperture whereby said aperture is normally open, said elongate'member being movable forwardly, lengthwise, in response to each Volume-reducing actuation of said pumping device and eiective during the rst part of each such forward movement to closevsaid aperture and further effective to maintain said aperture r closed throughout the remainder of each such forward movement, said elongate member and breather tube,. jointly having a continuously open', laterally conned passageway extending' from a point near the Yrear end of said elongate member to said feed means and thenceto the.

exterior atmosphere whereby air is' dischargeable from said reservoir through said passageway to the exterior of the pen.

t MARLIN S. BAKER. 

